Have you noticed that “aspiring author” or “aspiring writer” is written in every Twitter bio, Facebook description, and Blogger about me section nowadays?

In all actuality, I hear “aspiring writer” more often than “aspiring author” in daily conversation, which has thrown me through a loop recently. An aspiring author is a person who directs one’s ambitions toward becoming a writer of a book, article, or report. I don’t have a problem with that phrase. The beef I have is with the combination of these two words: aspiring + writer. If you think of the general definition, it would be a person who directs one’s ambitions toward writing. But wait. Who wants to be an aspiring writer when you could – oh I don’t know – be a writer?!

The word aspiring only works when one describes themselves as an aspiring author, and I’m talking about publishing books not publishing blog posts. For example, I can easily publish a blog post and people know I’m the author. It’s a different story when I talk about writing a fantastical novel in the hopes of becoming traditionally published and known as an author by millions. Yep. Those are the two best examples I can give in order to explain authorial range.

I hate it when people call themselves aspiring writers. You are either writing or you’re not. Put your pen, pencil, or keyboard to work with your thoughts in tow and just freaking write – because then, you can call yourself a legitimate writer and leave that bogus “aspiring” mumbo jumbo behind.

As much as I urge everyone to adhere to the previously stated advice, although seemingly minimal, I have my own confession to make. I don’t refer to myself as any of the above. I don’t put myself in the category of aspiring authors – and as hypocritical as it sounds – the only category I fit in the majority of the time is aspiring writers. Truthfully, as many of my English majoring friends would know, writing is hard. Brainstorming unique ideas is hard. Outlining an entire storyline is hard.

For whatever reason, the most difficult part of being a writer for me personally, is getting the damn words written. I am a perfectionist when it comes to the dialogue, characters, and plot points that float around in my head. I’ve heard on numerous occasions that writers need to get the words said before editing. People like me write when small tidbits of inspiration strike, then slowly we crawl back into our shells where no writing occurs, only sheer thought. I know that it’s a poor way of writing and it’s highly ineffective. I aspire to write these grandiose tales but they never get written which is why I am far from being an aspiring author. It may be a wild dream of mine to become an established author, but at the rate I’m going, I won’t make it through the first draft.

I think most of the inspiration for this post came from my own inner bossy pants, yelling at myself to read and write more. I won’t call myself an aspiring author because I haven’t put in nearly enough effort to be classified under such a respectable title; but I also refuse to call myself an aspiring writer because that’s more of a cop out than anything. I know for a fact that there are people who can relate to my situation, throwing pity parties for ourselves when we should be planning, plotting, and producing stories. If you want to be a writer, be a writer – don’t accept anything less or half assed.

time to talk...

Have you ever put any thought into what it truly means to be an aspiring author or writer? Do you consider yourself a writer?!! What sets writers apart from aspiring writers? Do you have any advice that has worked to motivate yourself throughout the gruesome writing process? Please leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below! I would love to discuss this further!

Alright friends, I’m back and ready to dish out my EXTRAORDINARY LOVE for Six of Crows. Which I read two months ago. Or something like that. I don’t quite remember, but either way I can’t recommend this little wonder enough.

The hype for this was unreal throughout the summer months and I admit, I’ve never read The Grisha Trilogy – but this is irrelevant and you don’t have to start there. If you have no desire to read the aforementioned trilogy, I highly suggest you pick up this novel. I suppose now would be a good time to delve into my six reasons you should totally and immediately read this book.

the
characters

These characters are EVERYTHING I have been searching for. Badass. Cunning. Intelligent. Hilarious. What more could you want from fictional people?! *ahem, rhetorical question*

Kaz is the ring leader and mastermind of the group. He is incredibly ruthless yet somehow that made him more dimensional and likeable. I adore him, but his perspective was probably my least favorite to read.

Inej is the Wraith (which I had to google because um, I’m not up to date with my vocabulary) and I thoroughly appreciated her. She grounded Kaz, putting him in his place when need be. Also, she had her own agenda that she never forgot about so I applaud her!! Plus she and Nina are one of the best female duos of ever.

Nina is a Grisha aka she has a special power. This woman might as well be my spirit animal. She was sassy, risqué, and relatable. Girl, you go ahead and eat as many toffees as you want!

Matthias is the muscle of the group and out of everyone, I’d say he had the biggest internal struggle. His first scene brought me to tears.

Jesper is the comic relief and sharpshooter. I love him more than some people love chocolate. The shit he said had me rolling. One of my favorite perspectives to read from.

Wylan is…well, I can’t quite say what he is without giving away the reason he’s there. But unlike a lot of other peeps I know, I enjoyed his character! I thought he served the plot in a positive manner considering he doesn’t even have his own perspective.

the
massive heist

Confession: I’ve never read any books revolving around heists, but I’ve seen plenty of movies. I think the way Leigh Bardugo described the actual heist scenes was unbelievably effective. I would imagine that it’s BEYOND difficult to make a heist seem interesting and cohesive through writing as opposed to actual visuals used in movies. Also, before I read this, all I could think of was the heist from Fast Five (which was amazing). Thankfully, this was super different and original in its own way.

the
slight romance

Okay, so there wasn’t one romance, there were multiple romances with incredible complexity. They were beautiful and fulfilling and not distracting whatsoever. I’m starting to realize that I don’t need romances in books to be front and center. They’re just a bonus.

the
multiple POVs

Everyone and their best friends are usually in agreement when it comes to the multiple perspectives: they think it’s TOO MUCH. I, on the other hand, happen to disagree. I thought they were amazing. I haven’t read many books with multiple POVs but this was done so beautifully and the transitions were fluid yet every character had their own voice. Ugh, I don’t think it would have been as good without all of the perspectives we were given.

the
fantastical world

I think this constitutes as epic fantasy which makes sense because, yeah, it was pretty damn EPIC if you ask me. Aside from that, I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to keep up with the different places such as Kerch and Ravka, not having read Bardugo's other books that take place in the Grishaverse.

the
quote worthy writing

I am ecstatic and desperate to read the next installment because the writing left me in awe. Bardugo has a true gift when it comes to her craft. I’ve heard from many reliable sources that her writing improved drastically from The Grisha Trilogy and that makes my heart happy. It’s always awesome to hear people say that an author’s writing is improving – that’s the hope! She created vastly real characters in a detailed world that will leave you stunned. I especially loved the one-liners, witty banter, and bitter vibes. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed this much or stopped to smirk while reading a book.

time to talk...

So BASICALLY, I need everyone to read this book as soon as possible. We can then chat and fangirl until the next book is released. Who were your favorite characters and why?! Did you love the dark, nitty grittiness that is Six of Crows? Were you pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised by this book? If you have anything else you’d like to add, PLEASE do so in the comments section below! I’d love to hear what y’all think!